Hull Joins 700 Club

NHL teams

"It's big that we won," Hull said. "The last thing I wanted to do was get this goal down 4-0. I wanted it to be in a win."

Hull, 38, became the sixth member of the 700 club, joining Wayne Gretzky (894 goals), Gordie Howe (801), Marcel Dionne (731), Phil Esposito (717) and Mike Gartner (708), and he reached the milestone in 1,157 games. Only Gretzky did it in fewer, 886.

"It's a thrill to be a part of those guys," Hull said. "It's hard to fathom. Growing up and trying to figure out who you are and make an identity for yourself, and then to come in and be able to do this, it's a great feeling."

Hull had to wait for his milestone as he was held without a goal in his previous seven games after scoring on Jan. 22 in Edmonton.

"When you're going for something like that, you think anything can happen, you may never play again and be stuck at 699," Hull said. "That would be horrible. You think for a guy with a lot of goals that if you go into a little bit of a slump that it doesn't really affect you. But I think it got to me and I was trying a little bit of everything."

The milestone goal was a one-timer from the bottom of the left circle after a cross-ice pass from Pavel Datsyuk.

"I'm happy for our team, and I'm happy for Brett Hull," Red Wings coach Dave Lewis said. "I'm glad all the fans in Detroit got to see that. It's a special, special moment in NHL history, and the league's been around a long time."

Hull's father, Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Hull, scored 610 goals in 1,063 games that spanned 16 NHL seasons. Brett Hull passed his father on the career list with his first goal of the 2000-01 season.

"Early in your career, you think you've got a whole career ahead of you," Hull said. "When you're going for something like that, you almost think anything could happen. It means a lot more that I've got the rings to go with it. To have the personal accomplishments and to also have won the Stanley Cup, it kind of brings everything full circle."